Ah, it’s almost that time of year again: midterm season. The time when assignments pile up, and exams just keep coming. If you’re anything like me, you keep pushing your never-ending to-do list aside until it’s the night before your major essay is due, and you’re panicking under the time crunch.
This sort of passive procrastination, where you feel paralyzed by the inability to complete a task, is tied to a slew of consequences, such as lower academic performance, experiencing more symptoms of anxiety and depression, and is even linked to other health problems like insomnia and digestive issues.
I am also part of the estimated 80 to 95 per cent of post-secondary students who procrastinate. But, after experiencing the anxiety of continuously putting off my work one too many times (like when I had to read and annotate an entire book in a day), I set myself a challenge. Over the last year, I decided to try as many tips as possible to find methods that actually work in helping curb procrastination.
If you’re also trying to improve your work ethic, there are many ways to help kickstart your productivity and motivation. These are the tried-and-true techniques I use in my own life to tackle assignment anxiety and get stuff done early. Hopefully, you’ll find these as helpful as I have.
Set a timer
One method I always use is setting a timer for a specific duration and then focusing on work until it runs out. I use the Pomodoro technique, which encourages people to work with the time they have. The method was invented by a university student in the 1980s who was struggling to get assignments done. The basic steps are to set a timer for 25 minutes and work on one task during that time. After the 25 minutes are up, take a five-minute break. Repeat four times and then take a longer break.
This method is a game-changer for getting work done because it allows you to think about one task at a time in a given period rather than everything you have to do. Plus, you can customize the time you set to fit how you work. Personally, I love the Forest app for setting timers because every time you complete a successful timer, you can grow trees to add to your forest while also earning coins to help plant real trees. The app also subtly shames you if you don’t complete your timer by killing your tree, which gives you more incentive to focus.
Find a space you know you can work in
Sometimes, just the thought of working on a huge assignment gives me major anxiety. It makes me want to keep putting it off, especially in places where there are a lot of distractions, like at home, where I could just watch Netflix or play with my dogs. I’ve found that the best way to combat this is to get out of my regular workspace and find somewhere outside my typical environment where I can focus. I find I work best in a coffee shop or a library, but this could look different depending on how you learn. Maybe you can’t focus because of the hustle and bustle of being in public, so working at home would be better.
But it doesn’t just have to be the physical environment you change — there are other factors you can control to have more productive surroundings. An example of this is attention management, which focuses on controlling distractions, being present and maximizing focus. This could look like turning your phone on “Do Not Disturb,” setting a timer to work on tasks, or putting in noise-cancelling headphones no matter where you are. Once you find a space where you know you feel productive, learning how to focus will become much more manageable.
Use the 15-minute rule
I learned this technique in a psychology class, and it has really helped me on days when I just don’t feel like doing anything. This rule draws on the law of physics (just hear me out okay) that says that objects with no momentum (that are not moving) require more force to get into motion compared to keeping objects in motion that already have some momentum. So when it comes to procrastination, it takes less effort to be productive if you’re already “in motion,” and if no action has been taken at all, it takes more effort to get started.
This is where the rule comes in. You set a timer for 15 minutes, pick a task you’ve been procrastinating on, and work on it until the timer goes off. The idea is that after 15 minutes, you are free to leave the task if you want to, but you’ll often want to keep doing the task because you have already gained momentum, making sticking with it much easier. So if you aren’t motivated to get anything done, just start by setting a timer for 15 minutes, as it can make it easier to initiate getting work done.
Chunking with an assignment planner
Chunking is a technique that involves breaking up large assignments into smaller, more manageable pieces to help with planning, organizing and time management. I find when I create a plan of what ‘chunks’ of the assignment need to get done by what day, it lessens the stress I feel and helps me manage my time better.
If you need help figuring out where to start with chunking, many universities and colleges offer a great resource called assignment planners. These allow students to plan how to complete an assignment by the due date by breaking it up into smaller pieces. You just input the assignment type, the due date and the day you are starting, and the website will calculate a plan for how you can get it done. My favourites are the University of Toronto’s assignment planner, which offers a wide range of assignment types, and Seneca College’s assignment planner, which gives you a plan in the form of a checklist.
Make a to-do list and stick to it
One of my favourite feelings is the satisfaction of scratching something off a to-do list once it’s completed. I’ve struggled with to-do lists in the past, but over the last few months, I have found it helpful to have a daily to-do list on top of my weekly planner, where I can check off and prioritize my daily tasks.
To-do lists help decrease anxiety, give us structure and a plan, and are proof of our achievements. Research has also shown that even writing down what you need to do can lessen anxiety. I use a sticky note to-do list and put it on my laptop so I can see what I need to do, but online to-do lists like Notion also work well.
The one caveat is you need to stick to your list, even if you don’t feel like it. Your lists should be structured, realistic and specific. For example, instead of writing “complete research essay,” you might say, “spend one hour choosing an essay topic,” which is more manageable and what you would be more likely to complete. I’ve found that I feel the most productive when I get my priority tasks done first.
The Bottom Line
Procrastination can be good for some people who work well under pressure. But for most of us, procrastination can be detrimental. Putting things off from time to time is normal, but constant procrastination not only decreases your productivity and makes you more stressed but can also lead to other long-term consequences.
Trust me. I’ve been there, and quitting the habit can be difficult. If you also have the goal of being more productive, give these methods a shot because they have actually helped me manage not only my work but also my anxiety about it. So, go forth and try out these procrastination tips now (not later!).